Blackwater projects

Second coat is drying, will take a decent photo shortly. Thanks for the tips.

Finished for now.

Is he around 300 pounds? He is incredibly sturdy looking. I love the style. Well done.

No idea how to weigh him but he’s stocky. Thanks.

The carving is based on a design from Al Evans, which is itself based on a carving in the British museum.

Planted bamboo as material for future projects. Also to block hoarder neighbor’s yard. :)

Blackwater, your projects are great. The tikis are really true to form, but I have a question on the 7 ft. table and all that tight router work. I'm really just getting into using the palm router on my clock project and only used a 1/8" downcut bit (1/4" shank). What type of bits did you use, and was it hard to join up the cuts from different sides of the wood? Did you have to follow up with hand sanding in the grooves? It came out really nice.

Thanks, I like your work too.

I think I used a 1/2" V-bit. I spoke to Danny "Tiki Diablo" at Tiki Oasis, since my table is based on his bar top at Undertow. He recommended a V-bit, sharp as possible so I bought a nice new one. He also recommended a full-sized router instead of the palm router, and pull towards you for the cleanest cut. He has some carving videos on his Instagram page that I studied.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CitgIi-DCFi/

https://www.instagram.com/tikidiablo/reel/DJR8NVvPb7T/

I measured the middle of each round part, then used a can of tuna to draw a circle as a guide. I did that on the top and on the side. I did a few test cuts on a scrap board, then I just went for it freehand and it came out OK. It's tiki, it shouldn't be perfect. :)

[ Edited by BlackWater on 2025-07-02 18:09:21 ]

[ Edited by BlackWater on 2025-07-02 18:09:30 ]

Oh yes, I did a bit of sanding after routing. First to soften the corners but also to smooth inside the grooves where it didn’t cut the wood as cleanly. The grooves collect a bit of grime but less than expected.

Thanks Blackwater - appreciate the insight buddy! I will try out some new bits on the next one... sorry to hear of the extra sanding, my least favorite part :)

Well, people aren’t going to be resting their arms on your clock :)